Indiana Senate passes bill putting religion in science class

The Indiana State Senate has approved a bill that would allow schools to teach …

Yesterday, after almost no debate, the Indiana State Senate approved a bill that would allow its schools to teach the origin stories of various religions when a class touches on the origin of life. It now moves on to the state's House, where one of its cosponsors is currently the Speaker of the House.

Although the bill as written could be used to create a comparative religion class, its sponsor, Senator Dennis Kruse, has made it clear that he hopes to see it foster the teaching of creationism in science classes. The original text of the bill explicitly mentioned creation science; it has since been modified to mention a variety of religions, including Scientology. In a brief interview, Kruse expressed disdain for evolution, calling it a "Johnny-come-lately" theory.

As with many sponsors of bills of this sort, Kruse is apparently unaware of what evolution describes (hint: it's not the origin of life) and of the scientific meaning of the word "theory," which is not broad enough to encompass religious teachings. Unlike many of those other legislators, however, Kruse seems to be aware that legal precedent, in the form of Edwards v. Aguillard, prohibits the teaching of creation science in classrooms. Instead, he hopes that some school district in his state will shoulder the cost of returning the issue to the Supreme Court, which he thinks may choose to ignore precedent and revisit Edwards.

The year is young, but the National Center for Science Education is already tracking six bills in various states that target science education.